Jeremy Peter Goulet, a sexual-assault suspect who allegedly shot two Santa Cruz police officers to death Feb. 26, 2013. Goulet was later killed in a shootout with law-enforcement agencies.

Jeremy Peter Goulet, a sexual-assault suspect who allegedly shot two Santa Cruz police officers to death Feb. 26, 2013. Goulet was later killed in a shootout with law-enforcement agencies.

Photo: Santa Cruz County Sheriff

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Flowers and candles are left at a growing memorial in front of police department headquarters in Santa Cruz, Calif. on Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013, one day after two police officers were gunned down by Jeremy Peter Goulet, who was later shot and killed by other officers responding to the shooting.

Flowers and candles are left at a growing memorial in front of police department headquarters in Santa Cruz, Calif. on Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013, one day after two police officers were gunned down by Jeremy

Santa Cruz Police Chief Kevin Vogel is joined by other chiefs and law enforcement officials from Santa Cruz County at a news conference in Santa Cruz, Calif. on Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013, one day after two of his police officers were gunned down by Jeremy Peter Goulet, who was later shot and killed by other officers responding to the shooting.

Santa Cruz Police Chief Kevin Vogel is joined by other chiefs and law enforcement officials from Santa Cruz County at a news conference in Santa Cruz, Calif. on Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013, one day after two of

Police Chief Kevin Vogel describes how his department is coping with the death of two police detectives in Santa Cruz, Calif. on Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013, one day after they were gunned down by Jeremy Peter Goulet, who was later shot and killed by other officers responding to the shooting.

Police Chief Kevin Vogel describes how his department is coping with the death of two police detectives in Santa Cruz, Calif. on Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013, one day after they were gunned down by Jeremy Peter

Detective Sgt. Loran "Butch" Baker was the most skilled investigator with the Santa Cruz Police Department, the one tasked with handling the most complex cases.

Elizabeth Butler spent her college years working with the local community, graduated onto the Santa Cruz force and had become a respected detective investigating sexual assaults.

On Tuesday, they were carrying out a seemingly routine assignment - contact a barista who was a suspect in a misdemeanor sexual assault case - when the man opened fire and killed them both. In the Santa Cruz Police Department's 150-year history, it had never lost an officer in the line of duty. Within seconds, it had lost two.

"We all lost two friends, two family members, two community heroes," Santa Cruz County Supervisor Zach Friend said at a news conference, surrounded by officers wearing black bands of mourning on their badges. "It's something we simply, simply can't get back. It's an unbelievably emotionally trying time."

Baker, 51, was a 28-year veteran of the department who had served as a field training officer and traffic investigator. One of his earliest partners was the current police chief, Kevin Vogel, who called him a "remarkable teacher."

"We have several people that are higher-ranking than sergeant in our department that were actually trained by Butch, including myself," Vogel said.

The chief said Baker had a "tenacious appetite to find the truth" as an investigator.

"If there was ever a case that I wanted somebody who was going to give it their all and do the best job they could on a case, Butch Baker was the one to do that for us," Vogel said. "I would go as far as to say that Butch was my most skilled investigator with my Police Department."

Son joined force

Baker leaves behind his wife, Kelly, their adult daughters, Jillian and Ashley, and their son, Adam, who became a community service officer with the department in 2010.

In an interview that year with the Santa Cruz Sentinel, Baker said his son's decision to join the force "kind of threw me for a loop." But if Adam were going to be a police officer, he said, Santa Cruz was the place to do it.

"It's a great community to be a cop in," he told the newspaper. "You don't get bored."

Butler, 38, a native of Los Angeles, joined the department 10 years ago after graduating from UC Santa Cruz with a degree in community studies. Helping Santa Cruz's disadvantaged residents interested her from the time she came to the campus in the 1990s.

Agonized over career

As part of her senior thesis, Butler worked with low-income Latino youths in Beach Flats, the scruffy neighborhood near the Boardwalk amusement park. As graduation approached, she agonized over whether to become a social worker, a schoolteacher or a police officer, said Mike Rotkin, who taught her as a UC Santa Cruz community studies lecturer.

She decided on becoming the kind of cop who embraces the community as a partner, working hand-in-hand with citizens.

"She had a very strong sense of community policing, that it was not just a matter of a big armed force in town," Rotkin said. "She was very committed to serving the low-income community in town. That really was her passion. It's such a tragedy."

Butler worked as a patrol officer, hostage negotiator, downtown foot and bike officer, and an agent with the county drug task force.

On a Police Department blog in 2011, Butler wrote, "Solving criminal cases with the community's help and participation is the most fulfilling aspect of police work."

Career, motherhood

She loved living in Santa Cruz, she wrote, "because one can enjoy the ocean, the mountains, interesting people and a healthy lifestyle all in one spot."

She leaves behind her partner, Peter Wu, and their sons, Stellan, 2, and Joaquin, 5.

She juggled police work and motherhood handily, said her friend Deborah Elston.

"Her parenting was the same as her policing," she said. "She was focused on public relations and being a good mom. They just went hand in hand."

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